Rhino looked up and touched the tip of his mouth on a tree trunk in front of him, as if to kiss her. Female rhino was not aware if the acting was photographed not far from him.

That picture is strong evidence that the Sumatran rhino is still exploring the forest in Gunung Leuser National Park which is located in Indonesia’s westernmost province. “Sumatran rhino found in the Leuser back after 26 years declared extinct,” said Jamal M. Gawi, Director of the Leuser International Foundation, during his visit to the office of Tempo, Monday.

Rhinos in portrait dated December 9, 2011 at 13:55 pm was not the only individual in the Sumatran rhino 2.6 million hectares of the area. Together with Central officials Gunung Leuser National Park, a team from the Leuser International Foundation was able to record a number of activities other rhinos.

Nearly one thousand photos taken during the half-year managed this. There are photos that captured rhinos foraging in the middle of the jungle highlands, and there are fun soaking in a mud puddle.

“The numbers estimated 7-25 tail and everything is in good health,” said Jamal. Female rhino caught on camera with his head up it’s estimated age of 8 years.

The existence of the two-horned rhinoceros in the Leuser monitored via a camera trap (trap camera) mounted on some trees. The research team installed 30 camera traps unit since mid-2011. Everything is installed in locations puddle rhino. “Rhinos love soaking in the mud,” said Jamal.

The camera uses infrared sensors to detect the movement of animals – one rhino – as well as trigger the camera cock. Cameras capture images instantly the rhino as it passed. Without a sound, without a flash of strobe lights, just blink. Total thousand portraits from two decades because a rhinoceros rhino to be photographed dozens of times.

Identification of the sex is determined by a morphological rhino rhinoceros in general. Individual males have relatively larger bodies than females. Both males and females both have two horns, but the male rhino horn is much longer and tapered. While the female rhino horn tends to be shorter and blunt.

Jamal said the rhino sightings (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) in Leuser bring a glimmer of new hope for the conservation of endangered animals. Moreover, the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said the status of endangered Sumatran rhino. “Just one step toward extinction,” he said.

The claim was not excessive. The number of Sumatran rhinos in the world is estimated only 200 tails. It was only spread in the Leuser and Way Kambas in Indonesia and some parts of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia.

Sumatran rhino is the smallest rhino among the five species of rhino in the world. 120-145 centimeters tall, with a body length of about 250 centimeters and weighing less than one ton. Rhinos are very distinctive because his body covered with a thick skin is reddish hair. These characteristics are not found in other rhino species.

Jamal estimate whole picture Leuser rhino caught on camera is a teen or adult individual. None of the portraits that show puppies rhino. However, the composition of individual males and females could not be ascertained. The estimated age of the whole individual rhinos also uncharted. The team will collect dirt rhinos at the site occurrences for further population analysis.

The emergence of Sumatran rhinos in the Leuser deliberately not publicized widely. The team of researchers from the National Park Foundation and the compact does not disclose information rhino location coordinates. They fear the information will spread to unauthorized parties.

“Rhinos living in ordinary forest that can be entered all. Unlike Javan living in protected forest areas,” said Jamal.

Indonesia has two of the five species of rhinoceros. Besides rhino, Indonesia also has the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) are only found in the Park is home, Banten. Its population is much smaller than the Sumatran rhino, which is about 50 birds. Three other species are the black rhino (Diceros bicornis) and white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) in Africa and the Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) in Nepal and India.

The number of Sumatran rhinos continue to decline by 50 percent over the past two decades. The reason is the high poaching for rhino horn and take the rampant encroachment of forest into a live rhinoceros.

Rhino horns appreciated very expensive on the black market. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Fauna (CITES) said horn price could reach U.S. $ 60 thousand per kilogram.

Citizens of China and Vietnam were the main consumers rhino horn. Some people still believe rhino horn is believed to have medicinal and cure headaches, fever, heart disease and even some cancers.

Sumatran rhino conservation efforts could find new hope when a rhinoceros female gave birth to a male baby Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park, Lampung Timur, early Saturday, June 23, 2012. Andatu – baby rhino’s name – was the first rhino calf born in 124 years in captivity. Andatu born to Andalas and Queen.